Photo question

Like Evan stated, there really aren't any industry-standard and agreed-upon terms for these things. One photographers digital negatives might be every image straight from the camera, while another gives an edited product with every image processed.

Let's see if I can catalog the individual attributes (and thus wide variations) represented in "digital negatives"...

1. original source file A digital photographer will shoot in either RAW or JPG format. The direct JPG format requires no additional processing to deliver, though many photographers do. A film shooter will usually have to process and gets the negatives scanned. The RAW format requires at least a conversion to jpg, which may be a simple automated task - or a significant part of the photographer's processing workflow.

2. editing This is the process by which images are reduced in number prior to delivery. Some photographers may not edit at all - I would expect them to be then be hacks or *really* *really* good. A good edit removes the closed eyes, bad expressions, oof (out of focus) and other goofs (photographer or subject!). Further editing would include removal of duplicate shots in a series.

3. post-processing This is when images are adjusted for exposure, color, contrast and cropping. Additional processing may include conversion to B/W, sepia or other color and/or texture effects. A photographer might process very little to a lot on a set of proofs, to some or all of the delivered images.

4. retouching The removal of blemishes/wrinkles or other flattering manipulations to the image is retouching. A photographer may retouch few or none of the proofs, but rarely all. Usually the images selected for the album or large prints are retouched.

5. output size/resolution How big is the image being delivered - this determines how big a print can be made from the file. A web-sized image, that would print a decent 4x6 would be at or under 1mp. A mid-sized image, suitable for printing up to 8x10, would be 2-4mp. A high-resolution image, would be 6mp and up. Also, the final jpeg compression affects the file size (in mb) and output quality as ehegwer described.

6. license Do the images on the disc come with a license to make your own prints? The license may have restrictions on output size, duration of rights or intended use. Many photographers confuse licensing with giving copyright or may use the term copyright incorrectly.

For any BDW members that photoshop your photos, could you all help me with something? I am trying to edit some of my photos that are on my CD, I am trying to figure out how to make the colors "pop"? For example, in the album that I received with the edited photos (4x6), my dress/girls/guys shirts are very vivid and the photos on the CD are blah. I have some photoshop actions that I have used on some, but I still can get the clothes/water etc to pop. Does anyone have and tips or hints to help?

It's possible that the photos are looking "blah" to you because you don't have a properly calibrated monitor. Especially if you're viewing them on a laptop, because a laptop typically has it's monitor brightness turned up extra high so you can see it outside, etc.

What you might want to do is make a copy of your CD, or copy a few photos to a new CD (so your original CD stays safe at home) and take it to a lab and have a few 5x7s printed. You might be surprised to find that the prints look more like what's in the album and less like what you're seeing on your monitor.

I wanted to thank everyone for their offers of help and opinions on this subject. I contacted my photographer right away, and we have been emailing back and forth. He stated that he always sends out the edited CD, he thinks that by mistake, he sent me the backup CD instead of the edited one. Well, I finally got the new one, well, not yet. DHL delivered it today, but no one was home to sign for it, so I should have it tomorrow!!

that's great you got it figured out. I actually did the same thing once. I save all my final edited images in a different folder and I by mistake burnt the wrong folder. I would have been horrified if the bride thought I was giving her something sub-par as a final product.

Denise, if you still want some photoshop help please contact me. I'll link you to some tutorials and give you some actions which should make things pop.

The photos that my photographer printed out I really loved the look. I asked him what they were printed on and he said metallic photo paper. He said he didn't think they had that in the states. I am so glad that you said yours are metallic print. I will have to go check that site out. How long did it take to get them? Were they expensive and what sizes did you order? Sorry for all of the questions.

that's great you got it figured out. I actually did the same thing once. I save all my final edited images in a different folder and I by mistake burnt the wrong folder. I would have been horrified if the bride thought I was giving her something sub-par as a final product.

Denise, if you still want some photoshop help please contact me. I'll link you to some tutorials and give you some actions which should make things pop.

Josh I would love some help. I have worked with some actions, not a whole lot. I am also taking an online course in Workflow for CS3 but really havn't been able to focus too much yet on it. Thanks so much

The photos that my photographer printed out I really loved the look. I asked him what they were printed on and he said metallic photo paper. He said he didn't think they had that in the states. I am so glad that you said yours are metallic print. I will have to go check that site out. How long did it take to get them? Were they expensive and what sizes did you order? Sorry for all of the questions.